# silence

Pronunciation: say "SY-luhns" US /ˈsaɪləns/, UK /ˈsaɪl(ə)ns/

## Noun

1. The complete absence of any sound.
   - Simple: A time when there is no sound at all.
   - _An uneasy silence settled over the courtroom before the verdict._
   - _The valley was wrapped in total silence after the snow fell._
2. The act of choosing not to speak.
   - Simple: The act of not speaking when you could.
   - _The witness maintained a stubborn silence throughout the questioning._
   - _His silence on the matter spoke louder than any protest._
7. The practice of not speaking in order to pray or meditate, especially as a form of worship among Quakers.
   - Simple: A quiet time without speaking, used for prayer or deep thinking.
   - _Quaker worship often unfolds in shared silence broken only when someone feels moved to speak._
   - _The congregation kept a deep silence until the spirit prompted words._

## Verb

3. To cause someone or something to become silent.
   - Simple: To make someone or something stop making noise.
   - _The conductor silenced the orchestra with a single gesture._
   - _A heavy curtain helped silence the traffic noise from outside._
4. To suppress criticism or similar opposition.
   - Simple: To stop people from saying things that criticize you.
   - _The regime silenced journalists who questioned its policies._
   - _Officials moved quickly to silence the growing criticism._
5. To keep a feeling, thought, or impulse from being outwardly expressed.
   - Simple: To hold back feelings or thoughts so they are not shown.
   - _Years of training had taught him to silence his emotions._
   - _She silenced the grief rising in her chest and smiled._
8. To kill or murder someone.
   - Simple: To kill or murder a person.
   - _The informant was silenced before he could testify._
   - _Rival bosses ordered their men to silence the traitor._
9. To prevent a gene from being expressed.
   - Simple: To turn off a gene so it stops working.
   - _Researchers silenced the gene to observe the resulting changes in the cells._
   - _This molecule can silence specific genes without affecting neighboring sequences._

## Interjection

6. Used as a command for others to stop talking.
   - Simple: Said to order people to stop talking right away.
   - _Silence! I will not tolerate another word._
   - _Silence in the courtroom!_

## Origin

From Middle English silence, borrowed via Old French from Latin silentium ("silence"), formed from silēns ("quiet, silent", the present participle of silēre) plus -ium. It displaced the native Old English words swīġe and sālnes.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/silence (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).